Hello. Long time lurker, but now I am posting because I am getting ready to take the LSAT. I signed up and paid for the December one. I'm thinking it's not the best idea for me to take it because I don't feel prepared yet.What can I do? If I withdrawal from it, can I still register for February and will it show up to the law schools I apply for?

Yes, you can withdraw and register for February. Law schools will not be aware of this decision. However, 1) you will not receive a refund at this point and 2) results for the February LSAT are set to come back March 8, which is extremely late in the application cycle (past the due date for some schools).

If you are set on taking it in February, it's time to narrow down your list to schools who will accept the February LSAT and hunker down for the test, completely. Doing well on the LSAT requires your time and devotion. Otherwise, possibly consider schools with a spring start/applying next cycle or whenever you feel most prepared.

Guineapiggirl wrote:Hello. Long time lurker, but now I am posting because I am getting ready to take the LSAT. I signed up and paid for the December one. I'm thinking it's not the best idea for me to take it because I don't feel prepared yet.What can I do? If I withdrawal from it, can I still register for February and will it show up to the law schools I apply for?

Hello. If you are using the score from December LSAT for application in fall 2017, it's probably a good idea to withdraw it and register for Feb. LSAT. But if you are applying next year, I encourage you to take it to gain some experience of the actual test. Based on other posts on TLS, when an applicant has several LSAT scores, it is a good thing for the admission committee to see an improvement of LSAT scores than canceling some of them. Moreover, I registered for Sept. LSAT and took it when I was not ready at all. The score was not good, but I got a feel of the actual test, and it motivated me to be more focused and devoted to LSAT preparation.

existence1943 wrote:Hello. If you are using the score from December LSAT for application in fall 2017, it's probably a good idea to withdraw it and register for Feb. LSAT. But if you are applying next year, I encourage you to take it to gain some experience of the actual test. Based on other posts on TLS, when an applicant has several LSAT scores, it is a good thing for the admission committee to see an improvement of LSAT scores than canceling some of them. Moreover, I registered for Sept. LSAT and took it when I was not ready at all. The score was not good, but I got a feel of the actual test, and it motivated me to be more focused and devoted to LSAT preparation.

While I do agree that if you dont feel ready don't take it, I have to disagree to take it just to gain some experience. While progression of scores is a "good" thing it does NOT strengthen your application. Ideally, you want to take it as least as many of times as possible. Becoming a LSAT veteran and the experience and confidence is one of the positive externalities gained from various crash and burns on previous LSAT takes; HOwever, this isnt necessarily experience that you should set out to gain. It's just one of the positive takeaways after an unfortunate outcome. I suggest taking more diligent and true to the exam PTs using proctors like the 7sage proctor to replicate the actual testing environment. As i am a re-taker I can agree that after not doing well you are even-more motivated to LSAT prep round 2, but again, try to find the motivation now without having to go through it.

In Sum, If you are not confident that you can perform to the best of your abilities in two weeks, withdraw and take Feb or June depending on your schedule and what works best for you.